Testing 1, 2, 3…
by quintawrites
Summary: The whole Gibbs team/family is shaken up when Abby decides she needs to test her boundaries at home and work.
1. Chapter1

**Author's Note:**

**Hi Friends! This story is a two or three shot inspired by a prompt from MaidenMoonshine, who also proofread this. I'm posting this as a little treat to keep you all going while I devise my next full story. Warning: spanking of adults as discipline, read at your own discretion! And please review. Thanks! : )**

CHAPTER ONE

Gibbs set down the sanding block and sighed.

It was Friday nite and the team had just wrapped up a case that left them all ready for a break. Luckily, it was their weekend off. Unluckily, Gibbs was still on duty as dad and had an unhappy Abby waiting in a corner upstairs for a well deserved spanking.

Gibbs wondered why his kids always seemed to act out and require discipline on the team's weekend off. He knew it didn't always happen that way, but it sure seemed like it when all he wanted to do was relax and build a boat in his basement. However, Gibbs knew he couldn't look the other way after the manner Abby had been behaving in all week.

Abby had been particularly impatient, sassy and deliberately distracted. Gibbs tried his usual parenting techniques of warning Abby to correct her behavior using stern looks, withholding Caf-Pow's! and even scolding her when she continued to misbehave.

Usually a look or a stern word or two is all it took to get his favorite forensic scientist back on track. Abby thrived on Gibbs's praise and fatherly attention. However, Abby had seemed determined this past week to push every one of Gibbs's buttons over and over, practically daring him to reign her in with his usual loving discipline.

Well, she's about to get her wish, Gibbs thought as he climbed the stairs.

Gibbs hated punishing his kids but he knew he had to follow through when they misbehaved. Abby and Tony in particular didn't do well with inconsistency. It made them feel safe and protected when testing boundaries resulted in the same consequences every time.

Gibbs reminded himself of that fact as he rounded the corner into the living room, ready to get Abby out of her corner. He would send his "kids" for corner time before a punishment if they needed to cool off. It also gave him time to calm down before handing out whatever consequence their behavior earned them.

Gibbs had promised himself long ago to never discipline in anger or the heat of the moment. He much preferred making sure each punishment was taken as a lesson so that the offender was less likely to end up in the same situation for the same reason. Gibbs's goal was always to teach, not simply punish.

Gibbs stopped short and stared at the corner where he had deposited a sullen Abby 20 minutes ago. It was empty.

He took a cursory look around the living room just in case Abby had relocated to a different corner for some reason.

That's when he saw the front door was partially open. And his keys were gone.

Abby was on the run.

—NCIS—

Gibbs quickly went to the door and swung it open wide to check and sure enough, his car was gone. He pulled out his cell phone, snapped it open, and dialed Tim's number.

"Boss?"

Tim answered on the first ring. He was at home and on his computer, ready to dig in to a raid on his favorite role playing game.

"McGee," Gibbs practically spat out, walking in circles in his living room. "I need you to trace Abby's phone. Now."

"Abby? Is she okay?" Tim asked, as he brought up the program on his computer that would allow the trace.

"I don't know, Tim! Just do it!"

Tim broke out in a sweat as he input Abby's number. He was worried about her. What did she do now, he wondered as he picked up her phone's signal.

Tim knew she had gone home with Gibbs because the two had walked out right before he left for the nite. Plus, Abby had messaged him that she was in trouble earlier in the day.

"Boss, I got it," Tim said, furiously typing. "She's at… your house."

"My house? No, Tim, that's wrong. She's not here. Check again," Gibbs barked out.

After a few minutes, Tim came up with the same location as before.

"It says her phone is there, Boss."

Gibbs took a quick look around the living room before heading into the kitchen. There it was, sitting next to the coffee maker. Abby had left her phone so she couldn't be found.

"It's here, Tim," Gibbs said, sighing. "Thanks for the help."

"What else can I do?"

"Just sit tight, McGee," Gibbs said. "I'm sure Abby is fine. Although she won't be once I find her."

Tim recognized Gibbs's fatherly tone and let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. Abby was just being Abby and probably took off to avoid punishment, he thought.

"Alright. I'll be home all nite. Anything you need, let me know."

Gibbs hung up his phone and went to get his keys to go look for Abby when he remembered she took his car. He opened his phone again and called Tony this time.

"DiNozzo here," Tony answered after one ring.

Even though Gibbs was throughly irked by Abby, he still felt a surge of pride that both his boys answered his call so quickly. Rule Three was a big one for work and family purposes.

"Tony, your little sister has decided to run away and she took my car. Can you go to her place and see if she is there? And her lab too?"

Tony just shook his head as he processed what Gibbs was saying. Only Abby would have the guts to try to escape a punishment from Dad by stealing his car.

"Did Tim ping her phone?" Tony asked, mouthing to Ziva that Abby was on the run.

The two were stopped at a gas station to fill up before heading out to dinner. It wasn't often that they got out of work at a decent time and they wanted to make the most of it.

"She left it here."

Tony rolled his eyes and something caught his attention. Not more than 100 feet away, Abby came barreling out of the gas station convenience store carrying a 5 gallon jug of Caf-Pow!, a bag of ice and a box of Clownie Cakes.

The young Goth didn't notice Tony and Ziva parked at one of the pumps as she balanced her purchases as she opened Gibbs's car door.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs snapped, sensing he had lost his second in command's attention. "Go now!"

"No need, Boss," Tony said with slight amusement in his tone. "She just walked out of the gas station we're stopped at with enough Caf-Pow! to caffeinate a small village. We'll get her back to your house."

"Good. I'll be here," Gibbs said. "And don't let her drive in case she decides to entertain a car chase. Have Ziva drive my car."

"That may not be any safer, Boss," Tony said, unable to resist poking fun at Ziva's driving. "But I'll have Abby with me."

With that, Tony hung up and turned to Ziva. She had already guessed what was going on by listening to Tony's side of the conversation.

"Alright, Sweet Cheeks," Tony said, opening Ziva's door for her. "Time to reign in the wild one."

Ziva rolled her eyes in response. Of course Abby would steal Gibbs's car and drive three blocks to the nearest place for rations. Ziva loved Abby dearly but didn't always understand her thinking.

If Ziva were running away, she would have been at the airport under an assumed name and in disguise by now. There would be no stopping for Clownie Cakes when on the run, Ziva thought indignantly as they approached Abby.

Abby was in the car and talking to herself behind the wheel. Tony could hear some of what she was mumbling at a high speed as they got closer.

"I disobeyed Gibbs! I ran away! I took his car! And I left my phone! He's gonna kill me! I should go back. No, I shouldn't! But I have to! But I can't!" Abby blabbered feverishly as she stuffed a Clownie Cake into her mouth.

"Oh, you will go back," Tony said, opening the drivers side door. "And if Gibbs doesn't kill you, I might for messing up our dinner plans."

Abby stared at Tony and Ziva with wide eyes, half a Clownie Cake hanging from her mouth.

"Tony? Ziva?"

Abby tossed the rest of the forgotten cake on the ground as she calculated her escape. Turns out there was no escape. She was being blocked by a trained ninja and a federal agent.

The jig was up.


	2. Chaptet2

Author's Note:

This story takes place shortly after the team is reassembled following the story arc of the agency trying to find the mole in NCIS. As you may recall, Tony, Ziva and Tim were all given different jobs for awhile. Gibbs and Abby and Ducky were left on the team with three new agents.

Please read and review, as always! And thank you to MaidenMoonshine for the great edits. Happy Thursday! : )

CHAPTER TWO

Abby looked up at Tony and Ziva, wondering exactly what they knew. Maybe she could still get out of this.

"Hey guys," Abby said as casually as she could muster. "Fancy meeting you here."

Abby smiled as best as she could, then dropped her eyes to the pavement. She never was a good liar.

Tony looked amused but Ziva was impatient and not finding Abby's charade funny at all.

"Abby! Knock it off! We know what you are up to and are here to take you back to Gibbs's house," Ziva said with some irritation. "And believe me, when you get there your duck is cooked!"

"Goose, Zi," Tony corrected. "Her goose is cooked."

"I do not care what kind of poultry it is!" Ziva snapped. "You know what I mean. Now Abby, get out of the car and give me the keys. Tony is going to drive you back and I'll follow."

Abby looked up at Ziva. She could tell her sister was mad at her and that's when she realized the two were dressed for an evening out. Tears filled her eyes.

"You guys," Abby said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your night! I didn't mean to do any of this, actually. Gibbs was going to punish me and I just panicked and took his car. Now he's really going to kill me. And on top of that I messed up your date night!"

Abby was crying steadily by the time she stopped talking. Ziva and Tony exchanged a look and the frustration they felt toward Abby melted. No one could stay mad at Abby for long. It was like being mad at a puppy – a really cute puppy.

Tony knelt down next to Abby's open door.

"Abs, we are not mad at you," Tony said kindly. "But yes, we need to take you back to Gibbs's house. You know better than to run. What were you thinking?"

Abby just kept crying as she considered Tony's question. She grabbed a tissue from her purse and squeezed it nervously in her hands.

"I don't know," Abby admitted quietly. "I've been pushing Gibbs all week and he finally had enough. I knew he was going to give me a spanking and I didn't want one, so I ran."

"I know it was dumb," Abby continued before Tony could say anything. "I knew it was a bad move as soon as I left but that made going back even harder. I figured I'd lay low for awhile until I had the courage to face Gibbs again. Not long, just a day or so. I can't believe you found me so fast."

"Well, it could have something to do with the fact that you stopped for provisions three blocks away," Ziva couldn't help but add in.

"Hmmm. Yeah, I suppose that wasn't my best move," Abby conceded, taking a slurp from her Caf-Pow!

Abby had calmed down so Tony stood back up and held out his hand. Abby reluctantly placed the keys in Tony's palm and got out of the car. He handed Ziva the keys and motioned for Abby to go get in his car.

"Go on, Abs," he said. "I'll be right there."

Tony and Ziva watched Abby shuffle to the car with her head hanging down as if she was on her way to her execution.

"Alright, Ziva," Tony said, kissing her on the cheek. "See you at Gibbs's a few minutes."

Ziva hopped in the car and started the engine. She drove off as Tony got into his car.

"It's going to be okay, Abs," Tony said, patting her hand.

Abby didn't answer but just stared out the window. She knew Tony and Ziva were following orders but she didn't have to like it.

Sooner than she would have liked, Tony pulled into Gibbs's driveway. Abby considered not getting out of the car but that thought was lost the minute she saw Gibbs in the doorway.

"Abigail Sciuto, you get your butt in this house right now," Gibbs barked out in his gunny voice.

Even Tony winced at that tone as Abby made her way up the front steps. Ziva got into the car and they both watched as Abby went in the house and Gibbs shut the door.

Tony made no movement to leave for a few minutes.

"Tony," Ziva said in a soft voice. "She will be okay. You know Gibbs would never really hurt her or any of us. It is just a spanking."

Tony looked at Ziva and smiled. He felt so lucky to have found his family at NCIS and the love of his life.

"I know, Zi," he said, putting the car in gear. "I trust Gibbs. But you and I both know what it's like to be on the receiving end of Gibbs's punishments."

"That is true, my little hairy butt," Ziva agreed, taking Tony's free hand in hers. "But the way Abby has been acting this week, you should have seen this coming. I think the rest of us did."

Tony thought back to the foul mood, temper tantrums and general attitude Abby had displayed with all of them over the past week. His mind settled on the image of Abby smacking McGee particularly hard after he suggested she might need an attitude adjustment on Wednesday. And how she locked them all out of the lab for more than an hour after that.

"Yeah, you're right," Tony said. "What about dinner, then?"

"Let us just go home," Ziva said. "We can get pizza, yes? And I have something in mind for dessert."

Tony immediately started back to their apartment. Maybe this night would work out after all, he thought.

—NCIS—

Abby shuffled into the house, her head down. Gibbs closed the door firmly behind her and locked it. Abby winced at the sound of the lock. That was never a good sign in a house where the door was typically left open.

"Sit down, Abs," Gibbs said, motioning to the living room.

Abby sat on the couch and Gibbs took his usual position in front of her on the coffee table.

"Look at me," Gibbs ordered.

Abby's eyes shot up to Gibbs's and she immediately saw worry and disappointment. Her green eyes filled with tears as she held his gaze.

"Gibbs, I'm so sorry," she said, fidgeting with her hands. "I'm sorry I ran and I'm sorry I took your car. And I'm sorry for being such a pain this week."

Gibbs stayed silent but gently grabbed Abby's hands to stop her fidgeting. He held her hands in his larger ones and looked at her.

"I know you're sorry, Abs," he said. "What I want to know is why?"

"Well," Abby said quietly, as she bit her bottom lip. "I knew you were going to spank me and I didn't want a spanking, so I grabbed your keys and left. I knew it was a bad idea. I thought about turning around but-"

"Abs," Gibbs interrupted. "I'm not talking about why you ran. Why were you testing me?"

Abby widened her eyes as she understood what Gibbs was asking. She REALLY didn't want to talk about her behavior last week.

"Testing you? I wasn't testing you. Why would you say that? Last week had nothing to do with tests or you or anything!"

Abby's denial was weak as she babbled out her reasoning and the pitch of her voice kept getting higher and higher.

I really need to work on lying, Abby thought as she felt her face turn red. Wait, no, lying is bad. It's good that I'm bad at something that is bad, she thought.

"Abby? Are you listening?" Gibbs asked, his voice laced with irritation.

"I am! Yes, I promise I am," Abby hurried to say as she saw Gibbs's frustration. "I just missed that last word or two."

"I said, you are terrible liar young lady," Gibbs said sternly. "You and I both know you were testing your boundaries with me this week and I want to know why."

Abby balked at Gibbs's tone and simultaneously wished she hadn't stopped for Caf-Pow! and Clownie Cakes until she had at least cleared the county line. Abby peeked up at Gibbs and saw he was waiting for an answer.

"Anytime now would be good, Abigail," he said.

"Well, um," Abby stalled, gnawing again on her lip. "I don't really know so can we just get on with this? We both know this is going to end with me over your knee so can we just do that now?"

Gibbs felt his temper flare at Abby's tone but the uncertain look on her face told him this was the time to be patient. He simply looked back at his youngest and waited.

The room was quiet save for the fidgeting Abby was doing with the rings on her fingers.

"Abby, I love you, you know this," Gibbs said gently. "And you know I don't punish any of you until we talk things through. I'm here and ready when you are."

That did it. The dam broke and Abby started crying. Gibbs leaned forward and held her as she sobbed. He had known she was holding her feelings in but was surprised how intense her reaction was once she let go.

The two stayed in an embrace for a few minutes while Abby got herself under control. Gibbs rubbed her back as he held her.

Finally, Abby took a deep breath and leaned back so that she could look at Gibbs. Seeing unshed tears in his eyes was almost her undoing again but instead she took another long breath.

"I love you, Gibbs," she started. "This whole week has been a mess because of my bad behavior. I was testing you. I just didn't know it at first. I guess part of me was testing you because with everything else being so crazy in the last few months, and now back to normal, I wanted to know that everything is really back to normal. You know?"

Abby took another breath and waited for Gibbs to speak.

"I do know, Abs," Gibbs said, taking her hands in his again. "I figured this had to do with the changes lately. I tried to be patient but there is a limit. You know better than to have a temper tantrum in place of coming and talking with me."

"I know," Abby murmured. "I'm sorry."

Gibbs looked at Abby and could tell she felt better having gotten her emotions out. He wished he could hug her and they could move on but he knew Abby needed to feel the comfort of her boundaries, especially after the week she had.

"I know you're sorry, Abs," Gibbs said, returning to a stern tone. "But you still have some consequences coming."

Abby nodded her head slowly. She expected she'd still be punished after the heart-to-heart they'd just had, but a part of her had hoped otherwise.

"Ready to hear your punishment?"

Abby grimaced whenever Gibbs asked that question. It meant the talking part was nearly done and soon her bottom would likely feel Dad's displeasure with her latest misbehavior. Still, she nodded again, slowly.

"First, I'm going to spank you for your general disrespect and disobedience this week. Then, you're getting the paddle for taking off with my car tonight." Gibbs said slowly, making sure Abby was listening. "You're also grounded for the weekend. You can test me as much as you need to Abigail, you'll always get the same results."

"Now go get the paddle, young lady," Gibbs gently directed. "We need to take care of an overdue spanking."


	3. Chapter3

**Hi Friends,**

**I hope all of you enjoy this latest chapter and please review. I appreciate every word of feedback, it lets me know you guys are reading and enjoying the story. Thanks to MaidenMoonshine for the edits. And thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter.**

**WARNING: This chapter includes spanking of an adult as discipline. Please click away if this offends you.**

**Now let's see how Abby is faring...**

CHAPTER THREE

Abby heard Gibbs's directive but didn't move an inch off the couch. She stared at Gibbs as though he was speaking a foreign language.

"Abby? The paddle? Go get it, now," Gibbs said with more force in his tone.

That seemed to get Abby moving. Gibbs watched her head into the kitchen then heard her slowly descending the basement stairs. He got up from his perch on the coffee table and moved to the couch.

Gibbs sighed as he took a moment to focus before Abby came back. He hated using the paddle and almost never used it on his girls. But every so often one or both of them would stray particularly far out of bounds and need the reinforcement to begin anew with a clean slate. Gibbs knew how guilty Abby already was feeling from her week of temper tantrums, and then for running away. He needed to make sure this was well and truly placed in the past after imparting the lesson that boundaries for his kids were impermeable and consistent.

Gibbs was brought back from his thoughts as Abby re-entered the room with the paddle in hand. She was holding it out in front of her as though it was one of her lab specimens that should not be touched.

She stood in front of Gibbs and he took the paddle. Silently, he moved Abby firmly to the right of his lap and pulled her over his knees. Abby found herself face-to-face with the worn couch cushion, much like the many other times she would rather not recall.

Gibbs wrapped his left arm around Abby's waist and she wiggled a little, knowing what was coming. Again, Gibbs wished he could skip the spanking and go straight to comforting but he knew that would not be best for Abby.

"I want you thinking about what we talked about, Abby," he said. "And the choices you made that got you here."

Abby had already buried her face in her folded arms, as she usually did during a spanking. Gibbs looked down at her mess of black hair and saw a minimal nod. That was good enough.

Gibbs lifted Abby's short, pleated skirt onto her back and raised his hand. It was then he noticed her bright yellow underwear with the words, "Blinded by Science" scrawled across her backside. He bit back a smile despite the situation and landed the first of many spanks squarely on her bottom.

Abby jumped with the first smack and was steadily crying soon after. Gibbs was spanking hard and fast, with little time in between for Abby to catch her breath. When he moved his attention to her sit spots, Abby squirmed with renewed earnest as her crying transitioned to sobbing.

Gibbs hated to see his kids cry and especially hated being the one to cause their tears. When Abby began sobbing, Gibbs's heart plummeted in sadness and he also felt some relief because he knew he could soon end the spanking.

He looked down at Abby's wriggling bottom and could tell he had done a thorough job by the bright pink hue peeking out from the elastic on her underwear. Still, he could not let up yet. Gibbs lowered Abby's panties and picked up the paddle.

Abby let out a particularly sad whimper when she felt the cool breeze on her otherwise thermonuclear backside.

"Gibbs, no please," she begged through her tears. "I'm sorrrry! I will never test you again! Or run away! I pr-promise."

Gibbs took a deep breath and had to harden his heart to his youngest's pleas.

"We're almost done, Abs," he said quietly. "You're getting eight."

Abby responded to this information with new struggle and Gibbs instinctively brought her closer to him to keep her in place.

SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT

Abby kicked and sobbed but got no where at all. By the fourth spank with the sturdy paddle she lost all her fight and lay limp over Gibbs's lap.

Normally Gibbs would lecture while spanking at this point but he knew Abby understood why she was getting this. Talking more about it was unnecessary.

SWAT SWAT

Abby's bottom was now practically glowing red and Gibbs knew she would be feeling this spanking for at least a few days. He landed the last two promised spanks on her sit spots and tossed the paddle aside.

Gibbs immediately put a gentle hand on Abby's back and rubbed slowly. He knew it would take a few seconds for her to realize she wasn't being spanked anymore. Once her crying slowed a little, Gibbs righted her clothing and scooped her up into his arms.

Abby immediately buried her face in his chest as she cried. He continued rubbing her back and rocking her slowly, whispering assurances into her hair.

"It's okay, Abby. It's all over. You're forgiven."

Abby didn't answer but she didn't need to. Gibbs knew she needed to hear the comforting words and would talk when she was ready.

After awhile, Abby lifted her head to look at Gibbs, her eyes swollen and red rimmed and her nose a bit stuffy from crying.

"Can I have my Caf-Pow! now?" she asked quietly.

Gibbs smiled in relief to her question, which was typical Abby. She had stopped crying and her breathing had evened out.

"How about at dinner?" Gibbs suggested softly. "Rest first, okay?"

Abby nodded slowly and sleepily into Gibbs's shoulder. He helped her off his lap and expected her to go to her room but instead she laid down on her tummy on the couch.

Gibbs would have rather had her upstairs so that she could rest more peacefully but wasn't willing to fight that battle.

He lay a blanket over his daughter and turned off one of the side lamps. Gibbs grabbed the paddle to return it to its home downstairs and figured he would have a nip of bourbon. He was certain he'd earned after the night's events.


	4. Chapter4

**Author's Note:**

**Here is the final chapter of this former one-shot! Lol. Sometimes stories just beg to be longer, right? Please read and review. And thank you as always for your support and comments and to MaidenMoonshine for the edits! Happy Tuesday!**

CHAPTER FOUR

Abby woke up Sunday morning to the smell of coffee and pancakes. She stretched a little and remembered after a moment that she was at Gibbs's, not in her coffin at home.

The weekend grounding had actually been enjoyable so far. Gibbs had Abby help him make some shelves for the convent where Abby's bowling nun friends lived, as she had mentioned to him that they were in need awhile ago.

The two had worked most of Saturday and watched a movie Abby had been wanting to see that night. Abby's bottom was still a little sore from her spanking, but she didn't dare complain since the day had gone so well otherwise. Plus, she knew she had deserved her punishment and didn't want to whine about it.

Abby smiled as she thought about how much she enjoyed spending time with her surrogate dad as she dressed and went downstairs, following the delicious scents coming from the kitchen.

Gibbs was seated in his spot with coffee and paper in hand as usual. He had already served Abby a helping of pancakes with strawberries and a Caf-Pow! at her usual seat.

"Morning, Gibbs!" Abby said brightly as she sat down carefully and dug into her meal.

Gibbs responded by lowering his paper to smile at his daughter, who attacked her breakfast with the singular focus of a hungry girl. Gibbs liked to see his girls eat a full meal. It happened too often at work that a case would get in the way of eating. At least when any of his kids were grounded he could make sure they were well fed.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Abby asked as she took a sip of her drink in between bites.

"Well," Gibbs started slowly. "I thought we could deliver the shelves to the convent and catch a bite out before coming home."

Abby nodded as she listened. But she had a funny feeling Gibbs wasn't done.

"Then when we get home, you need to go to your room and write an apology letter to the team for your behavior last week," Gibbs said. "I'll take a look at it and you can give it to them tomorrow. Got it?"

Gibbs looked at Abby carefully and was certain he could see the gears in her head turning. Abby hated writing as punishment. She wasn't the type to sit around and having to be still for that long was always a challenge for Gibbs's youngest.

"Gibbs, do you really-" Abby started.

"Abs," Gibbs cut her off. "Save the argument. I know you've already been punished and that you hate writing assignments but you behaved unacceptably to the whole family last week and they need to hear you're sorry."

Abby went to open in her mouth in protest but Gibbs beat her to the punch a second time.

"And don't even try to bring up Rule No. 3 here," he went on. "You know never apologizing doesn't apply to bad behavior among family."

At that, Abby sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. Gibbs had effectively taken all of her arguments away for not writing a letter. She was at a loss for words.

Gibbs smirked as he got up from the table and took care of his coffee cup and Abby's now empty dishes.

"Go get ready, Abs. We'll leave in 15."

Abby didn't move. She was debating whether to stand her ground or let it go. As she watched Gibbs refill his mug, Abby recalled just how bratty she had been to Tony, Ziva, Tim, Ducky and Palmer. She blushed a little in shame at her behavior and decided she wanted to write the apology letter because she hated the idea that her family felt disrespected.

Gibbs turned around and stared at Abby.

"Ten minutes now."

Abby shook her head to get out of her thoughts. She hopped up from her chair and went over to Gibbs to hug him.

Gibbs was not an easy guy to approach for a hug, but always accepted affection from his kids. It helped him to let go of the hurt he felt when he had to discipline them too.

"Love you, Gibbs," Abby whispered into his shoulder.

"Love you too, Abs."

"I won't fuss about the letter," she said. "I know I need to write it."

"That's my girl," Gibbs praised as he kissed Abby's hair. "Now go get ready."

Abby raced off to grab her jacket and purse. Gibbs set down his empty coffee cup and went to load the shelves in his truck. He hoped Abby would stick to her word. She seemed to be done testing her dad's boundaries but with Abby you never really know.

—NCIS—

Abby sat at the desk in her and Ziva's room, surrounded by balled up pieces of paper. She had been attempting her apology letter for the last hour and couldn't take much more of it.

Nothing she wrote sounded right. She squirmed restlessly in her chair and tapped her pen on the desk's edge. Abby wanted to give up and go downstairs but she knew better. Gibbs told her with "the look" that she was to stay in her room until she had a letter to show him.

Abby looked down at her current attempt and sighed. The paper was nearly blank except for the date, the salutation of "dear team," and a smudge of Clownie Cake that stuck to her fingers and got on the paper.

Abby was contemplating throwing the whole notepad, pen and possibly desk out the window when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called, turning the notebook over so Gibbs wouldn't see how little progress she had made.

Gibbs entered, silently assessed the state of the room and Abby's mood, and sat on the edge of Ziva's bed.

"Having trouble, Abs?"

Abby looked at Gibbs and instantly threw her idea of throwing everything out the window, out the window. She wished she had the letter written and done with by now.

"Yeah," Abby said quietly, turning in her chair to face Gibbs. "I don't know what to say."

"Abs, don't overthink this. You are a brilliant person with a big heart and are almost never at a loss for words. Just write what comes to you."

Abby nodded but didn't seem quite as convinced as Gibbs.

Gibbs got up and went to the door.

"Dinner will be ready in about half an hour," he said. "I expect you'll have something to show me by then."

Abby nodded again and Gibbs left. She turned back around in her chair, looked at a framed picture on the desk of her whole NCIS family and started writing.

Exactly 29 minutes later Abby bounded down the stairs with her letter in hand. Gibbs looked over it quickly, kissed the top of Abby's head in approval, and they sat for dinner.

Abby, as usual, did most of the talking while they ate. Afterward, the two watched a movie before turning in for the night. Abby lay the letter on the desk before she went to bed so that she wouldn't forget it in the morning.

Dear Team,

This letter is an apology for my bratty behavior last week. I'm sorry I was disrespectful, short tempered and generally cranky. McGee, I'm especially sorry for smacking you for no good reason. Tony, I'm sorry I ate your leftover pizza and Ziva – sorry die blaming you for eating it!

I promise to be a better coworker and little sister to you all. I love our family and want you to know how much I appreciate each one of you. I would even give up Caf-Pow! if I had to so that we could always stay a team and family.

Thank you for being patient with me last week (and when you picked me up at the gas station). Your old, happy Abby is back now thanks to your love and support – and maybe a little reinforcement from Dad! ; )

Love,

Abby

That night Abby slept better than she had in more than a week. She knew her siblings loved her. She knew where her boundaries were with Gibbs at work and home. And most importantly, she had her family all back in one place – which made her feel grateful, safe and most certainly loved.

**THE END**


End file.
